Guest Guide to Comics - Part Two - Superheroes...

Words: Joel Janiurek 

Top Five Superhero Comics That Are Well Worth Reading (Even If You're All Grown-Up Now)

1. Black Summer / No Hero
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

From the twisted minds of Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp comes two unconnected stories, both about vigilantism and what it means to operate outside and above the law. No Hero looks at how far people would go to obtain superpowers, while Black Summer deals with the fall-out when a superhero decides to kill the President of the USA. With hardcore violence, shocking plot twists, explosive artwork and brazen ideas, these books will leave you open-mouthed.

Further reading:
- Gravel / Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer
- Elektra: Assassin / Frank Miller
- Irredeemable / Mark Wald

2. The Umbrella Academy
Written by Gerard Way
Art by Gabriel Bá

For folks who like surreal flourishes and quippy fun. The issue titles of the first volume should tell you everything you need to know: 'The Day The Eiffel Tower Went Berserk', 'We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals', 'Baby, I'll Be Your Frankenstein', 'Brothers And Sisters, I Am An Atomic Bomb', for example. With a superhero family of misfits and lunatics battling the forces of evil, and each other (mostly each other), The Umbrella Academy is like drinking several cans of Coke all at once.

Further reading:
- Powers / Brian Michael Bendis
- Chew / John Layman
- The Goon / Eric Powell

3. The Ultimates
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Bryan Hitch

Possibly the best mainstream superhero comic ever produced, The Ultimates is the re-booted, up-to-date, action-packed, seriously cool incarnation of Marvel's famous superhero team The Avengers. Comprised of Iron Man, Thor, The Wasp, Giant Man, The Hulk and Captain America, it's a no-frills vision of archetypical heroes living the dream, and taking out the bad guys. With widescreen action sequences, believable characters and solid story construction, this is a complete bombastic joy from start to finish.

Further reading:
- Nemesis / Mark Millar
- Kick-Ass / Mark Millar
- The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century /Frank Miller

4. Ex Machina
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Tony Harris

Twin worlds collide – in this case, superheroes and politicians – in a very modern comic detailing the trials and tribulations of Major Mitchell Hundred of New York City, once known as 'The Great Machine', and the world's first and only superhero. Told in a broadly realistic fashion, Ex Machina takes place over the Hundred's four-year term, as he takes on threats both supernatural and supermundane. The story teases itself out bit-by-bit, and this is a deftly told superhero comic unafraid to push further and deeper than those that have gone before.

Further reading:
- Y: The Last Man / Brian K. Vaughan
- DMZ / Brian Wood
- The Authority / Warren Ellis

5. Top 10
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Gene Ha and Zander Cannon

Finally. I couldn't leave without at least one Alan Moore comic book. Although possibly best known for writing such dark and epic moody tales as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell, he does have a light and bouncy funny side, which finds one of its best proponents in this book. What happens when you cross superheroes with Hill Street Blues? A crazy, multifaceted city where absolutely everybody, from taxi drivers to politicians, has a superpower – and some poor cops with the thankless task of policing it all. With no deeper message or themes holding it down, this is a wickedly enjoyable comic that is over much too soon.

Further reading: 

- Tom Strong / Alan Moore
- Promethea / Alan Moore
- Gotham Central / Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker

We asked Joel a few more questions...

What is more important, the drawings or the words?

In the best comics the two will always work in harmony – so much so that it's difficult to prize them apart. But there can be interesting exceptions where one can elevate the other. For my tastes, the artwork in the book The Rabbi's Cat (by Joann Sfar) is really rubbish, but it fits the story perfectly, and although I hated it at the start, by the end I wouldn't have had it any other way. Same with some Alan Moore stuff. A Small Killing looks awful and gaudy, but it really sets the mood and atmosphere and fits the story just right. xkcd has the worst artwork ever (just stick people), but still manages to be utterly amazing. It can work the other way, where amazingly brilliant artwork can take over, and mask how shallow the writing is.

What do you think comics can do that other mediums can't?

Maybe because they tell stories one panel at a time, comics are good at capturing single moments. And they can hold a seond in time, for you to ponder over for as long as you like. Comics are really good at the interplay between words and pictures, but if there's one thing that all really good comics understand, it is how to combine both in order to create a meaning larger or greater than either one could achieve on it own. A section from the end of Garth Ennis' run on The Punisher MAX series sticks in my head: a guy sitting in a bar watching the TV with a poem running over the top, it's just amazing. Going back to what I said before about how comics are about space management, that might contain the answer I'm trying to capture... Comics present a story in a way where, at every point, its future and its past are just next door. Some authors know how to make really good use of that. The Tale of One Bad Rat pulls you along you from one panel to the next in a way that's almost frightening.

Read Part One of Joel's Guide to Comics here.

Find more information on Islington Comic Forum here and the blog here.

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